Obsidian artifacts?

[RogueFlea]

Recently, on a trip to Yellowstone, my husband and I stopped at Obsidian cliff and read the plaques they have posted at this landmark. The plaque mentioned how Native Americans local to the area would make points out of obsidian from that location. These points have been found as far east as Ohio because of trade. Has anyone ever found one that had clearly been traded to the area? I would love to find one in my lifetime.

 

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[newnan man]

There have been several posted here over the years, some recently. Go back through a fewpages of posts & you'll find it.

 

[uniface]

Those were ultra-high status trade items during the Mound Builder era. Ross points & such. Your chances of finding one range from zero to none unless you're looting a Hopewell mound. Even then your chance of finding one of obsidian = virtually nil.

www.peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/artifact-identification/2-uncategorised


Add
www.projectilepoints.net/Points/Ross.html
www.projectilepoints.net/Points/Ross Notched.html
www.projectilepoints.net/Points/Ross Blade.html

 

[joshuaream]

I know a few collectors in the Midwest who have found flakes of obsidian on Hopewell age sites, but it's rare stuff.

 

[WG2020]

Uniface,

Thank you for posting the links, very informative and some good reading. Good luck with your hunts. Walt

 

[RogueFlea]

Those were ultra-high status trade items during the Mound Builder era. Ross points & such. Your chances of finding one range from zero to none unless you're looting a Hopewell mound. Even then your chance of finding one of obsidian = virtually nil.

www.peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/artifact-identification/2-uncategorised

Add
Ross Barbed Projectile Point
Ross Notched Projectile Point
Ross Blade

Thank you for the resources and good reads!

 

[unclemac]

there are labs that will trace obsidian to specific flows, each having unique qualities. I have different pieces from over 1,200 miles from where they were found.

 

[Crumb]

I have a broken obsidian point found in Kentucky

 

[newnan man]

I saw an old black & white picture once of hundreds of flat Obsidian plate looking preforms. They were dug from a mound in Ohio by turn of the century archeologists. They operated a little more loose back then.

 

[Gold Maven]

my buddy found a beauty in Wayne County ,Ohio.

I have never even found a flake.

Beautiful stuff.

I read one that Obsidian flakes sharper than the sharpest modern day scalpel. In fact the article said surgeons were experimenting with it.

It flakes on a molecular level.

 

[KY T]

I had a friend find three in Boone county West Virginia.

 

[DaveSmith]

Not sure if this is obsidian or not, but it is the only one I have found from this material. Western NC. Its about an inch long. Pics aren't the best.

 

[uniface]

Pictures won't enlarge for some reason, but it looks like "ridge and valley chert," FWIW.

 

[pepperj]

Most points were made from this material when we hunted for them in the area.

5th paragraph pretty well says it all when it comes to the province and what happens.

Now from reading the last few paragraphs in following link-we bad.
Well it nice to be able to pick points from the area 55 yrs ago

https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloop...0-year-old-artifact-on-thompson-river/it71153